FALTER

CHAPTER 21: What they believe in.

Rachel lowered the arm covering her face. She blinked a few times to get rid of the bright spot that had imprinted on her iris. Her ears rang in the aftermath of the explosion that had just occurred.

There was distant shouting trying its best to permeate through the fogginess of her mind. Rachel swayed on her feet, her eyes darting around and taking in the sight. Destruction dotted the street: bricks crumbled and dust fell from rubble, people looked out of their windows in fear before darting back inside their homes. Each breath Rachel took felt like a puncture into her lung.

Every spectator's eyes wandered to the centre of the fallout from the battle. Ash encircled in an outwards pattern all around Falter. Painful heaving could be heard from inside the helmet, but the golden glow of the demonic eyes remained as bright as ever. A breeze rushed through, making the yellow scarf billow out behind the figure. Though his armour was covered in all manner of debris, the pristine red still shined through, cheerily reflecting the late afternoon of the sun.

Suddenly, a cracking noise began. Falter immediately pushed his attention back to what remained of the other combatant in front of him. After the final kick, Mr. Green's monstrous body had arched backwards, both arms hanging to the floor. A hole had formed where Falter's boot had made contact, which was now cracking open wider and wider. Wisps of smoke curled outwards as the cavity increased in depth. Falter gritted his teeth as he prepared for another fight.

A hand shot outwards from the hole, which Falter instinctively dodged. It stopped before reaching him however and motioned wildly, as if writhing in pain. The tar-like substance covered much of the arm that was visible, dripping onto the floor in boiling hot dollops. Still, Falter understood and grabbed onto Mr. Green. Planting his feet on the monsters', Falter grabbed tightly and pulled, letting the body crumble around the man inside.

Liquid bubbled out as the remainder of Mr. Green's mutated top half fell to the ground and shattered into smaller pieces. His lower half remained, though Falter could see cracks begin to form there as well, allowing the man to take a shaky step forward.

He seemed unharmed underneath, though the temperature of the liquid seemed to be causing blisters on his bare skin. Falter tried to swat it away but Mr. Green's knees gave out and he collapsed into the hero's arms.

"Hmph," Falter grunted, stumbling a little under the sudden weight. Mr. Green quickly grabbed onto him with an arm, causing Falter to flinch. But he let the wariness go as Mr. Green latched on and enveloped the armoured man in a hug.

It took a moment for Falter to realize the man was sobbing quietly into the nook of his shoulders.

He was still on edge, of course, his entire body poised to fight. Nonetheless, a bit of the adrenaline-fueled shaking seemed to be subside as his clawed hands hovered awkwardly in the air.

Mr. Green finally spoke.

"I... I am so, so sorry." He whimpered.

The world seemed to disappear away into a white void. In that instant, there was nothing else besides the two men. Falter had gone completely still, almost catatonic. His mind was empty and yet, beyond the dam, a riptide of thoughts threatened to take him off his feet.